England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening match of a three-test series against New Zealand at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on Thursday. His decision was unsurprising given the tinge of green on the wicket on a warm and sunny day in the south island of New Zealand.

Ben Stokes has defended the decision to hand Jacob Bethell a Test debut at No.3 against New Zealand this week, but understands why some will query England's latest off-the-wall punt. England announced their XI for the first Test at Hagley Oval,

England test captain Ben Stokes says he opted out of the bidding in the Indian Premier League to prioritize playing international cricket in what he described as the “back end” of his career.

Captain Ben Stokes says he opted out of the Indian Premier League auction in order to prolong his England career.

Ben Stokes has revealed he did not enter the IPL mega auction to strip back his playing commitments as he attempts to prolong the twilight of his career. Stokes was a notable omission from the list of 52 Englishmen signed up for the mega auction in Jeddah for the 2025 competition.